Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing.[3] After World War II, Leipzig became a major urban centre within the Communist German Democratic Republic but its cultural and economic importance declined.[3]

Leipzig later played a significant role in instigating the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, through events which took place in and around St. Nicholas Church. Since the reunification of Germany, Leipzig has undergone significant change with the restoration of some historical buildings, the demolition of others, and the development of a modern transport infrastructure. Leipzig has many institutions and opportunities for culture and recreation including a football stadium which has hosted hosted some international matches, an opera house and a zoo.

In 2010, Leipzig was ranked 68th in the world as a livable city, by consulting firm Mercer in their quality of life survey. Also in 2010, Leipzig was included in the top 10 of cities to visit by the New York Times.

Leipzig was first documented in 1015 in the chronicles of Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg and endowed with city and market privileges in 1165 by Otto the Rich. Leipzig has fundamentally shaped the history of Saxony and of Germany and has always been known as a place of commerce. The Leipzig Trade Fair, started in the Middle Ages, became an event of international importance and is the oldest remaining trade fair in the world.

There are records of commercial fishing operations on the river Pleisse in Leipzig dating back to 1305, when the Margrave Dietrich the Younger granted the fishing rights to the church and convent of St. Thomas.[5]

There were a number of monasteries in and around the town, including a Benedectine monastery after which the Barfussgässchen (Barefoot Alley) is named and a monastery of Irish monks near the present day Ranstädter Steinweg (old Via Regia).

A terminus of the first German long distance railway to Dresden (the capital of Saxony) in 1839, Leipzig became a hub of Central European railway traffic, with Leipzig Central Station the largest terminal station by area in Europe. The train station has two grand entrance halls, traditionally the eastern one for the Elector of Saxony and the western one for the Emperor of Germany.

Leipzig became a centre of the German and Saxon liberal movements. The first German labour party, the General German Workers' Association (Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein, ADAV) was founded in Leipzig on 23 May 1863 by Ferdinand Lassalle; about 600 workers from across Germany travelled to the foundation on the new railway line. Leipzig expanded rapidly towards one million inhabitants. Huge Gründerzeit areas were built, which mostly survived both war and post-war demolition.

The 20th century

See also: Bombing of Leipzig in World War II

With the opening of a fifth production hall in 1907, the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei became the largest cotton mill company on the continent, housing over 240,000 spindles. Daily production surpassed 5 million kilograms of yarn.[6]

Several thousand forced labourers were stationed in Leipzig during World War II.

The city was also heavily damaged by Allied bombing during World War II. Unlike its neighbouring city of Dresden this was largely conventional bombing, with high explosives rather than incendiaries. The resultant pattern of loss was a patchwork, rather than wholesale loss of its centre, but was nevertheless very extensive.

The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Leipzig in late April 1945. The US 2nd Infantry Division and US 69th Infantry Division fought into the city on 18 April and completed its capture after fierce urban combat, in which fighting was often house-to-house and block-to-block, on 19 April 1945.[7]

Geography

Leipzig lies at the confluence of the rivers Weisse Elster, Pleisse and Parthe, in the Leipzig Lowland,[citation needed] on the most southerly part of the North German Plain, which is the part North European Plain in Germany. The site is characterised by swampy areas such as the Leipzig Riverside Forest, though there are also some limestone areas to the north of the city. The landscape is mostly flat though there is also some evidence of moraine and drumlins.

Although there are some forest parks within the city limits, the area surrounding Leipzig is relatively unforested. During the 20th Century, there were a several open-cast mines in the region, many of which are being converted to use as lakes.

Leipzig is also situated at the intersection of the ancient roads known as the Via Regia (King's highway), which traversed Germanic lands in an east-west direction, and Via Imperii (Imperial Highway), a north-south road.

Leipzig was a walled city in the Middle Ages and the current "ring" road around the city centre corresponds to the old city walls.

Districts and Neighbouring Regions

Leipzig is divided administratively since 1992 into ten urban districts, which contain 63 subdistricts. Some of these correspond to outlying villages which were taken over by Leipzig.

City districts,[10] their location and relation to neighbouring districts

Climate

Leipzig has a continental climate with summer temperatures sometimes over 30 Celsius (on 10 days of 2010) and very frequently below 0 in winter (on 62 days of 2010).[12] As in much of Germany, snow will regularly stay on the ground for a number of weeks, or even months, in the winter.

The hottest day on record was the 9th August, 1992 with a high of 38.8 °C, the coldest was the 14th January, 1987 with −24.1 °C.[13]

Demographics

Population development since 1600

The population of Leipzig is approximately half a million with about 17% unemployment. Before German reunification it was over 700,000. Many people of working age took the opportunity to move west to seek work and this was a contributory factor to falling birth rates. However the birth rate for 2010 was 5414, the highest since reunification.[14] There were 5788 deaths in Leipzig in 2010, but the population increased by 4000 due to inward migration.[12] The average age of the population is 44.

The percentage of people with migration background or those of non-German origin/ethnicity is quite low compared to other German cities; the number of foreign inhabitants has in fact fallen from 28,177 in 2008 to 24,881 in 2010.[12] As of 2011, only about 10% of the population was of 1st or 2nd generation immigrant origin compared to the German overall average of 20%.

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Leipzig by country of origin per 31 December 2010[15]

Architecture

Leipzig has many buildings representative of Gründerzeit architecture and also a lot of Plattenbau architecture from the time of the DDR regime. The building of the University Church which was destroyed by the Communists in 1968 is currently being rebuilt as a secular building. The city also has numerous parks and forested areas and a zoo containing the biggest house in the world for primates.

Monument to Felix Mendelssohn in front of this church. Destroyed by the Nazis in 1936, it was rebuilt on October 18, 2008.

St. Nicholas Church (Nikolaikirche), for which Bach was also responsible. The weekly Montagsgebet (Monday prayer) held here became in the 1980s the starting point of peaceful Monday demonstrations against the DDR regime.

Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Battle of the Nations Monument): one of the largest monuments in Europe, built to commemorate the victorious battle against Napoleonic troops

Gewandhaus: home to the famous Gewandhaus Orchestra, it is the third building of that name

Old Town Hall: the old town hall was built in 1556 and houses a museum of the city's history

City-Hochhaus Leipzig: built in 1972, it was once part of the university and is the city's tallest building

Auerbachs Keller: a young Goethe ate and drank in this basement-level restaurant while studying in Leipzig; it is the venue of a scene from his Faust

Städtisches Kaufhaus (municipal department store): the world's first sample fair building and today home to offices, retail stores, restaurants and interim classrooms for the University of Leipzig (its name is misleading, as it is privately owned)

Among Leipzig's noteworthy institutions are the opera house and the Leipzig Zoological Garden, the latter of which houses the world's largest facilities for primates. Leipzig's international trade fair centre in the north of the city is home to the world's largest levitated glass hall. Leipzig is also known for its passageways through houses and buildings.

This conservatoire is today the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig[16] A broad range of subjects can be studied, both artistic and teacher training, in all orchestral instruments, voice, interpretation, coaching, piano chamber music, orchestral conducting, choir conducting and musical composition. Musical styles include jazz, popular music, musicals, early music and church music. The drama departments teach acting and dramaturgy.

The Bach-Archiv for documentation and research of life and work of Bach and also of the Bach family was founded in Leipzig in 1950 by Werner Neumann. The Bach-Archiv organizes the prestigious International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition, initiated in 1950 as part of a music festival marking the bicentennial of Bach's death. The competition is now held every two years in three changing categories. The Bach-Archiv also organizes performances, especially the international festival Bachfest Leipzig (de) and runs the Bach-Museum.

The city's musical tradition is also reflected in the worldwide fame of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Thomas Church Choir. For over 60 years Leipzig has been offering the oldest "school concert[17] program for children in Germany. With over 140 concerts every year in venues such as the Gewandhaus and over 40,000 children attending, young adults are educated and inspired by music.

As for contemporary music, Leipzig is known for its independent music scene and subcultural events. Leipzig has for 20 years been home to the world's largest Gothic festival, the annual Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT), where thousands of electro fans from across Europe gather in the early summer. Leipzig Pop Up[18] is an annual music trade fair for the independent music scene as well as a music festival taking place on Pentecost weekend. Its most famous indie-labels are Moon Harbour Recordings (house) and Kann Records (House/Techno/Psychedelic). Several venues offer live music on a daily basis.[19] is one of the oldest student clubs in Europe with concerts in various styles. For over 15 years "Tonelli's"[20] has been offering free weekly concerts every day of the week, though door charges may apply Saturdays.

Norwegian black metal band Mayhem recorded their 1993 live album at the Eiskeller club on November 26, 1990.

Arts

The city's contemporary arts highlight is the Neo Rauch retrospective opening in April 2010 at the Leipzig Museum of Fine Arts. This is a show devoted to the father of the New Leipzig School[21][22] of artists. According to The New York Times,[23] this scene "has been the toast of the contemporary art world" in the past decade. Further there are eleven galleries in the so-called Spinnerei,[24] a former cotton mill that attracts all kinds of independent artists. The New York Times features Leipzig in the Top 10 of its "31 Places to Go" article in 2010.[25]

Sport

More than 300 sport clubs in the city represent 78 different disciplines. Over 400 sport facilities are available to citizens and club members.[34]

The German Football Association (DFB) was founded in Leipzig in 1900. The city was the venue for the 2006 FIFA World Cup draw, and hosted four first-round matches and one match in the round of 16 in the Central stadium. Leipzig also hosted the Fencing World Cup in 2005 and hosts a number of international competitions in a variety of sports each year.

Since the beginning of the 20th century Ice hockey gained popularity and several local clubs established departments dedicated to that sport.[35] Today the Blue Lions Leipzig is the most famous Ice hockey club in town.

VfB Leipzig, now 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig, won the first national football championship in 1903.

From 1950 to 1990 Leipzig was host of the Deutsche Hochschule für Körperkultur (DHfK) (German highschool for physical culture), the national sport university of the GDR.

Handball-Club Leipzig is one of the most successful women's handball clubs in Germany, winning 20 domestic championships since 1956 and 3 Champions League titles.

Leipzig made a bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. The bid did not make the shortlist after the International Olympic Committee pared the bids down to 5, and the competition was eventually won by London on 6 July 2005.

Markkleeberg Lake (Markkleeberger See) is a new lake next to Markkleeberg, a suburb on the south side of Leipzig. A former open-pit coal mine, it was flooded in 1999 with groundwater and developed in 2006 as a tourist area. On its southeastern shore is Germany's only pump-powered artificial whitewater slalom course, Markkleeberg Canoe Park (Kanupark Markkleeberg), a venue which rivals the Eiskanal in Augsburg for training and international canoe/kayak competition.

In June 2009 Red Bull entered the local football market after being denied the right to buy into FC Sachsen Leipzig in 2006. The newly founded RB Leipzig is now attempting to come up through the ranks of German football to bring Bundesliga football back to the region.[36]

Two Leipzig based teams are members of the Unihockey-Bundesliga, the German Premiere Floorball league. The MFBC Löwen Leipzig were runner-up in 2009, the SC DHFK Leipzig in 2008.

Food & Drink

An all-season local dish is Leipziger Allerlei, a stew consisting of seasonal vegetables and crayfish.

Leipziger Lerche is a shortcrust pastry dish filled with crushed almonds, nuts and strawberry jam; the name ("Leipzig lark") comes from a lark pâté which was a Leipzig speciality until the banning of songbird hunting in Saxony in 1876.

Gose is a locally brewed top-fermenting sour beer that originated in the Goslar region and in the 18th century became popular in Leipzig.

A part of Leipzig University is the German Institute for Literature which was founded in 1955 under the name "Johannes R. Becher-Institut". A lot of noted writers have graduated from this school, including Heinz Czechowski, Kurt Drawert, Adolf Endler, Ralph Giordano, Kerstin Hensel, Sarah and Rainer Kirsch, Angela Krauß, Erich Loest, Fred Wander. After its closure in 1990 the institute was refounded in 1995 with new teachers.

Visual Arts and Theatre

The "Academy of Visual Arts" (Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst) was established 1764. Its 530 students (as of 2006) are enrolled in courses in painting and graphics, book design/graphic design, photography and media art. The school also houses an Institute for Theory.

The University of Music and Theatre offers a broad range of subjects ranging from training in orchestral instruments, voice, interpretation, coaching, piano chamber music, orchestral conducting, choir conducting and musical composition to acting and dramaturgy.

University of Applied Science

The Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK)[38] has approximately 6200 students (as of 2007) and is (as of 2007) the second biggest institution of higher education in Leipzig. It was founded in 1992, merging several older schools. As a university of applied sciences (German: Fachhochschule) it status is slightly below that of a university, with more emphasis on the practical part of the education. The HTWK offers many engineering courses, as well as courses in computer science, mathematics, business administration, librarianship, museum studies and social work. It is mainly located in the south of the city.

Others

The private Leipzig Graduate School of Management, (in German Handelshochschule Leipzig (HHL)), is the oldest business school in Germany.

Economy

Many bars, restaurants and stores found in the city centre are patronised by German and foreign tourists. The Leipzig Central Station itself is the location of one of the largest shopping centres.[39]

Some of the largest employers in the area (outside of manufacturing) include the various schools and universities in and around the Leipzig/Halle region. The University of Leipzig attracts millions of euros of investment yearly and is in the middle of a massive construction and refurbishment to celebrate its 600th anniversary.

Media

MDR, one of Germany's public broadcasters, has its headquarters and main television studios in the city. It provides programs to various TV and radio networks and has its own symphony orchestra, choir and a ballet.

Leipziger Volkszeitung (LVZ) is the city's only daily newspaper. Founded in 1894, it has published under several different forms of government. It was the first newspaper in the world to be published daily. The monthly magazine Kreuzer specializes on culture, festivities and the arts in Leipzig.

Once known for its large number of publishing houses, Leipzig had been called Buch-Stadt (book city).[40] Few are left after the years of the German Democratic Republic, during which time Frankfurt developed as a more important publishing centre, the most notable of them being branches of Brockhaus and Insel Verlag. Reclam, founded in 1828, was one of the large publishing houses to move away. The German Library (Deutsche Bücherei) in Leipzig is part of Germany's National Library.

Transport

Road

Originally founded at the crossing of Via Regia and Via Imperii, Leipzig has been a major interchange of inter-European traffic and commerce since medieval times. After the Reunification of Germany, immense efforts to restore and expand the traffic network have been undertaken and left the city area with an excellent infrastructure.

Since 1936, Leipzig has been connected to the A 9 and A 14 autobahns via the Schkeuditzer Kreuz interchange and several exits. The A 38 completes the autobahn beltway around Leipzig and was completed in August 2006.

Like most German cities, Leipzig has a traffic layout designed to be bicycle-friendly. There is an extensive cycle network. In most of the one-way central streets, cyclists are explicitly allowed to cycle both ways. A few cycle paths have been built or declared since 1990.

Leipzig also has an extensive local public transport network. The city's tram and bus network is operated by the Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe. Leipzig's tram network, at a length of 209 km (about 140 miles) is one of the longest of any German city.[42]

An underground railway line called the "city tunnel" is presently under construction and this will link the train station to the city centre at a cost in excess of 500 million euro.

Water

In the first half of the 20th Century the construction of the Elster-Saale canal s, White Elster and Saale was started in Leipzig in order to connect to the network of waterways. The outbreak of the Second World War stopped most of the work, though some may have continued through the use of forced labor. The Lindenauer port was almost completed but not yet connected to the Elster-Saale and Karl-Heine canal respectively. The Leipzig rivers (White Elster, New Luppe Pleisse and Parthe) in the city have largely artificial river beds and are supplemented by some channels. These waterways are suitable only for small leisure boat traffic.

Through the renovation and reconstruction of existing mill races and watercourses in the south of the city and flooded disused open cast mines the city's navigable water network is being expanded. The city commissioned planning for a link between Karl Heine Canal and the disused Lindenauer port in 2008. Still more work was still scheduled to complete the Elster-Saale canal. Such a move would allow sport boats to reach the Elbe from Leipzig. The intended completion date was, however, postponed because of unacceptable cost-benefit ratio.

LEIPZIG — LEIPZIG, city in Saxony, Germany. Jews are first mentioned in Leipzig at the end of the 12th century; an organized community with a synagogue and a school existed from the second quarter of the 13th century. Its inhabitants came mainly from… … Encyclopedia of Judaism